Mau Characteristics

still in existence. You can find a lot of detailed information on the web, so what I present here is a quick list of distinguishing characteristics that most Maus have. You can follow my blog to learn more about the distinct personalities of my cats.

Egyptian Mau’s Physical Traits:

Random spots with the dark spots being very vivid against the base coat color

Come in silver, bronze, smoke, or black

Have a spotted or marbled pattern (referred to as Classic Mau)

The color pattern appears at the end of the fur (called ticking). Push back the fur and you’ll see white hair against pink skin. It is not true that if you shave a Mau the spots appear on their skin.

The dark ‘M’ on their forehead is often called a scarab beetle mark

Their almond0shaped eyes turn gooseberry green as they mature

Strong black ‘mascara lines’ run from the corners of the eye across the cheek

On silvers, a strong black line runs along the spine to the tail

The one way to tell a Mau: they have an extra flap of skin extending from the end of the ribcage to the hind limbs that allows for increased speed (like the Cheetah)

Fastest running Mau was clocked running over thirty miles an hour

Their hind legs that are longer than their front legs

They are short-haired cats, but do shed and require occasional brushing

Have few known health issues

Egyptian Mau Personality Traits

Very athletic – these are strong, physical cats

Very intelligent (you’ll notice this in play, when they don’t fall for your tricks the way other cats do)